The Raven's Flight
by shadowedstalker-princess
Summary: Re uploading this fic. I had it here once but I took it down. No new summary atm, so I hope you read and enjoy! Cover pic drawn and edited by moi! That's Orion.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Raven's Flight**_

_**A Ben 10 fanfic**_

_**shadowedstalker~princess- Hey people! Redoing this old fic. I'll have to make up new stuff cuz I lost the old word files.. Anyways, please remember to fave, review and show me some love! :3**_

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own Ben 10 in any way. Ben 10 Alien Force and Ben 10 Ultimate Alien belong to the awesomeness known as Man of Action and Cartoon Network. **

"Human speech"

_'Human thought'_

**"Yelling"**

_**"****Yelling"**_

_"Alien speech/alien language"_

_-Alien thought-_

_"Spells/incantations"_

* * *

Chapter 1

_Abandoned Warehouse…_

Bright flashes of light and loud banging echoed through the night as the sounds of battle could be heard from the dilapidated warehouse at Torres Blvd. Outside two similarly painted green and black cars were parked haphazardly as yells and strange, garbled words passed through the unhinged door.

"Little help here! These DNAliens aren't messing around!" a brunette girl known as Gwen Tennyson said this with a sarcastic drone as she manifested a pink shield before her while a raven haired boy pounded on some strange looking, one eyed aliens.

"Oh yeah? I'm not messin' around either!" the osmosian grinned as he morphed his hand into a stone club. This was none other than Kevin Levin and as he swung his arm, three DNAliens flew into some old planks of wood. Not too far away crouched behind some crates was a brown haired, green eyed boy, who was fiddling furiously with an odd green and black contraption on his wrist. This, of course, was the well known and, much sought after, Omnitrix. The most powerful device in the universe, capable of turning the user into any alien species in the blink of an eye.

"Stupid watch!" the boy grouched as he tapped, pressed and slapped the unresponsive device on his wrist. "C'mon! Work already!" the brunette growled out as he heard a tell tale garbled speech, sending him on high alert. Two gun blasts later and the teen broke out in a run. Mere seconds later, the crates exploded from a rain of beams as five of the DNAliens chased after the teen. The brunette groaned as he dodged a flurry of red beams and yellow globs of muck while still trying to activate his unresponsive watch. "This is really getting old! Can't you work properly for once!?"

_"Ben…"_ Gwen repeated as she took down four aliens with a ball of mana before creating a dome of pink energy around her and Kevin.

"I know, I know!" the brunette replied hurriedly as he baseball slid under a protruding steel beam and continued running like hell. One alien smacked right into the obstacle but the others jumped over it and renewed their pursuit. Four DNAliens were still hot on his tail and as he gave the Omnitrix one final smack, it beeped and glowed bright green. "Alright! Back in action!" spinning the dial, it landed on Swampfire but before Ben could start the transformation, he quickly hit the dirt as a light purple beam shot forward. Crashing to the floor, the beam flew over the brunette and hit the four DNAliens with tremendous force, sending them flying through the air. _"What the…?"_ Kevin murmured as Gwen dropped her shield. More and more aliens were sent packing as the strange purple beams seemed to come from everywhere, striking every target with great precision. Before long, all the aliens were either unconscious or fleeing in droves. Ben blinked as soft footsteps echoed through the air and drew closer. Quickly rising to his feet, Ben spun around with his hand hovering over the Omnitrix. Gwen and Kevin quickly stood at his side with their battle positions. With glowing eyes, Gwen prepared for the worst.

"No, no! Wait!" a feminine voice cried out worriedly; making Ben, Gwen and Kevin share a confused look.

"Alright, show yourself! Who's there?" more quiet footsteps floated through the air as someone emerged from the shadows. Ben blinked as he was face to face with a strange but beautiful girl.

"_Whoa_…" the brunette whispered as the girl stared at him silently. Amethyst eyes sparkled with mystery while her flawless face and cascading lavender hair glowed ethereally in the moonlight. It was so light it almost looked silver, if you squinted. And of course, Ben in his stunned stupor committed everything to memory. Continuing his observations, the girl's clothes looked like they were poured on. Everything hugged her lithe form in all the right places and Ben couldn't help stare as she too stared right back at him. The girl was dressed in a long sleeved black dress that stopped at her knees with white lace at the end. A purple stringed black corset was wrapped around her slim waist. Long, cobweb patterned black stockings and a pair of silver laced, knee high boots finished the girl's outfit.

"A _chick_?" Ben blinked as Kevin folded his arms. "We got shown up…by a _chick_!?" Gwen lowered her hands and her mana disappeared as the girl quietly stood before them. "She a distant cousin of yours or somethin', Gwen? She looked like she did your magic ano-what's it…" said girl frowned.

"Okay…I'll answer in order…No; she isn't…not that I know. It's not _magic_, it's mana and she's not an Anodite. I don't sense that from her and even if she was an Anodite, she'd have to be a relative. I do get a sense of…familiarity from her mana but…she's definitely not an Anodite…she'd have to be related to me or Ben…"

"So who is she…?" Ben murmured in thought as the girl suddenly perked up.

"_Ben_…?" she repeated questioningly. "Ben…_Tennyson_?"

"Uh, yeah. Who wants to know?" before much more could be said, the girl was soon bowing at the brunette's feet.

"I am Orion. Princess of Hoouran, Daughter of King Reore and Queen Treaal. I was a guardian of the Raven's Stone and I need your assistance…"

"Princess of Hoouran? Raven's Stone? What the heck is this chick talking about!?" _'That couldn't be...I thought she was killed...'_ Kevin frowned as Ben bent down and raised the girl's face.

"A princess huh? Shouldn't we be doing the bowing and kneeling? You don't have to do that for me." Ben gave Orion a small smile and her amethyst eyes widened. At this, Kevin rolled his eyes.

_'Naive idiot…'_

"You're eyes really _are_ like emeralds…" she murmured before Ben gave a weak laugh and stood, giving her his hand. Looking at it for a couple seconds, Orion slowly grasped his hand and allowed him to help her up.

"Err, Orion, right?" the girl nodded, giving Gwen her attention. "Why seek out Ben? Isn't the Raven's Stone safe on Hoouran? You're supposed to have like ten of the best sorcerers and mana users guarding it in the palace, right? At least you should, from what I've read." Orion's eyes grew downcast as she quietly hugged herself.

"That is true…or at least it was…"

"_Was_…? Well, what happened?" Ben asked as the alien looked even more upset.

"You…you might want to sit down…This will take a while to explain." with little warning, a silver glow emanated from Orion's hands and eyes as three nearby crates floated over, landing behind her, Ben and Gwen…Of course a certain someone was not too pleased about these seating arrangements.

"Oi! What about me? I gotta sit too, ya know!" Kevin frowned as Orion turned and gave him an annoyed look.

"What _about_ you? I don't like that look you've been giving me and you don't trust me…so no seat for you. Get your own, _Levin_…" Orion turned up her nose, making Kevin give her a dirty glare. Ben and Gwen turned to each other before cracking up in a fit of laughter. Growling lowly the osmosian stomped off and angrily dragged a crate. Kicking it the rest of the way, Kevin shot the girl a glare as he sat down in an angered huff.

"Now hurry up and talk, _Your Highness_. Time's wastin' and mine happens to be important…" the purple haired princess frowned, glaring at Kevin before giving a snort.

"I am most sorry to be taking up your precious time, Kevin Levin. I guess the biggest conman in this system has a life as well? Your scheming work with illegal alien tech is more important than helping someone, I suppose…"

"Hey, watch it _princess_! Alien or not, I'll kick that pompous butt of yours...No charge." the osmosian growled out and Orion felt her blood begin to boil.

"You best hold your tongue, meat sack! I won't tolerate disrespect from the likes of an osmosian like _you_…" the girl spat as her eyes glowed silver once more.

"Let's just tone it down guys…" Ben was quickly ignored as Kevin shot to his feet in rage.

"Ohh you're askin' for it now, _Your Highness_!"

"Do you want to be killed, swine?!" Orion rose from her seat as well as her hair flowed wildly and her power whipped around her.

"Ha! Really? Let's see you try, oh mighty one!"

**"That's it, Levin!"**

"**Alright, enough!"** Gwen yelled as she separated the two with a wall of mana. "Kevin I don't know what your damage is but you better get over it! This girl came for help and we're gonna give it!"

"Wait…_We_? What do you mean _we_? There is no way I'm gonna…"

_"Kevin…"_ Gwen leveled the raven haired teen with a murderous glare, daring him to challenge her again. Sighing with defeat, Kevin ground his teeth and sat down in a huff. Nodding with approval, Gwen's mana wall disappeared and she sat on her crate with folded arms.

"Sorry about that, Orion…" Ben apologized with a pointed glare at the osmosian, which was promptly ignored. Calming herself, the princess took a breath and closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I apologize as well…I let my anger get the better of me…"

"It's fine." Gwen replied. "Now you were going to tell us why you came here, right?"

"Correct…The reason why I am here is because…my home planet has been destroyed…Two people have stolen our Raven's Stone…and…and they…"

"I'm so sorry, Orion…" Gwen murmured with sympathy as the girl merely looked down. Putting a hand on her knee, Ben soon grabbed her attention.

"What happened, Orion? What did those guys do?" if possible, Orion looked sadder than before. Taking a deep breath, she fisted her lace trimmed dress.

"They killed my parents…" she whispered softly as her chest grew heavy and tight. Gwen gave a small gasp and she felt Ben flinch as he removed his hand. Without warning, the Omnitrix wielder swept the girl into a hug. With wide eyes, Orion slowly raised her arms and returned the embrace, sliding her eyes closed as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

_'Is Ben really falling for this sob story? Good grief…A soap opera is less dramatic than this!'_ Kevin thought with a small sneer and a shake of the head. Gwen noticed this from the corner of her eye but she decided to ignore it.

"I'm sorry to do this…" Orion murmured before she released the hug. "I didn't know where else to go…"

"It's alright. Do you…want to continue or…?" the princess nodded slowly.

"I…I'm fine. After the intruders stormed the palace, they killed all the other guardians…I was the last one left…If my father and the palace guards didn't come in time…" Ben gave her a comforting smile as he gently rubbed her shoulder.

"It's alright, Orion…Maybe we should go somewhere else? Somewhere a little more comfortable? So you can tell us a bit more?" Gwen suggested and Ben quickly agreed.

"That's a good idea. This place seems more like an interrogation room than anything else…What do you think, Orion?" the princess seemed to contemplate it a bit before giving a small nod.

"That would be nice…"

"Then it's settled." Ben grinned. "To Mr. Smoothies." Gwen rolled her eyes and Kevin gave a sigh.

"Typical…" he muttered as he rose from his seat and stalked off. "Hurry up, Tennyson!" Orion looked down as Gwen sighed softly.

"Don't mind him, Orion. He's just sore because you beat his share of aliens earlier." she smiled before she too rose and made her way to the exit. Ben chuckled as he got to his feet and held out his hand. Staring at it, Orion gave him a questioning glance.

"Well? Come on now. I won't bite." he joked and Orion gave a small smile before she slowly grasped her hand with his. Giving a grin, Ben helped her up and led her outside. Kevin and Gwen were already strapped in and waiting in Kevin's black and green muscle car. Giving them an impatient look, Kevin drummed his hands on the leather steering wheel. Leading Orion to his car, Ben opened the door and let her slide into the front passenger seat. Quickly closing the door, Ben got to the driver seat and turned over the engine.

_"Jeez…Took you two long enough…"_ Kevin's voice crackled over the Plumber Badge's radio link, making Ben roll his eyes. Eyeing the strange contraption near the door, Orion curled her boots on the seat and hugged her knees.

"This thing will not devour us, will it?" she asked warily and Ben chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, Orion. We're absolutely fine." the brunette smiled as he pulled her safety belt on and secured it, pulling from the curb with Kevin following suit.

_"Heh. Big, bad protector of a stone is afraid of a car…hilarious."_ the purple haired Hoouranian bristled angrily as she tightly gripped the seat belt.

"Hold your tongue, Levin." she frowned making Ben give a small laugh as Kevin was silenced with a hard punch to the shoulder.

_"Ow! Gwen! What was that for?!"_ Kevin's voice yelled through the still open link and Orion snickered softly as Ben took a right.

_"For being a jerk to Orion…Now Orion…Who were the people who attacked Hoouran? Do you know their names?"_

"Y-Yes…I know the name of one attacker…the other I will have to describe…" the princess took a breath. "The first attacker…was Vilgax and…"

_"Wait, wait! Vilgax came after the Raven's Do hickey?"_ Kevin interrupted as Ben's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

_"Vilgax? After something with magical properties…?"_ Gwen murmured and Orion felt a bit of annoyance grow within her.

"The Raven's Stone is not just _'something with magical properties'_!" she chided angrily. "The Raven's Stone was my home planet's most powerful mana source! We had a legend stating that only the one destined to bring peace and harmony to the entire universe could possess it…Unfortunately, the reason we are all in this mess is because…of my father…" Gwen raised an eyebrow from the other car as curiosity bloomed within.

_"Wait, your father? But didn't he rescue you during the attack? How could he be the cause of all that?"_

_"And you still haven't told us the other attacker, Your Highness. This little story of yours ain't addin' up!"_

_"Stop it Kevin."_ another pained yell filtered through Ben's Plumber Badge radio link, making the brunette snicker.

"Don't mind him, Orion. Go ahead." giving him a thankful smile, she released a breath.

"My father…years before I was born…to save our homeland from great destruction he made a…bad offer."

_"Bad offer?"_ Gwen repeated softly as this story seemed to click something within her memory…Like she had read it before in a book.

"Yes…you see, the Raven's Stone is pure. As a result darkness has great negative effects on it…Only the destined one can touch, hold or use the stone and…as a last resort, my father tried to use the power of the Raven's Stone. The best mana users at that time, his advisers, even my mother begged him not to do that…They warned him of the consequences but father heard none of it. Hoouran was on the brink of destruction and he would do anything to save it…" Orion looked down with a bitter sweet smile before she dried her eyes and continued. "A-as a result of this, a small portion of the stone turned dark."

_"But that's just a small portion, right? I mean no harm done."_ Kevin murmured as he and Ben finally got on the highway. Pretty soon they would be in Bellwood.

"You don't get it!" Orion hissed with sudden anger. "You know of Ying and Yang, correct?" she asked, receiving nods and words of confirmation. "Well the Raven's Stone was Ying and it should have _stayed_ Ying! Even a small portion of darkness can corrupt the stone!"

_"Huh. I guess that's like a good girl getting corrupted by a bad boy."_ in his car, Ben snickered.

"That sounds a lot like you and Gwen, Kev…" a choked sound floated through the com link, making Ben full out laugh.

_"What was that, Ben Tennyson?"_ Gwen growled out and the brunette's laughter soon died in his throat.

"Uh, nothing!" he replied quickly making his cousin roll her eyes.

"As I was saying," Orion interrupted dryly. "Since the stone was fully corrupted, its mana went beyond its limits before going out of control. Seeing this our best mana users and sorcerers of Hoouran were given the task of guarding the stone from thieves and preventing its raw, destructive power from leaking out. Like I said, I was also a guardian but as you can see…we failed. I was the last defense but…they were too powerful…My father arrived with the palace guards and rescued me…He made me and mother flee to an escape ship…He said he would follow after he defeated the intruders but…he…" Orion choked as tears pooled in her eyes. Gwen felt sadness creep over her as she sorely wished she could give the alien a hug.

"Wait…so where is your mother?"

"She…did not survive…She had been injured during the attack…"

_"Oh Orion…"_ Gwen whispered as sadness and empathy flowed within her.

"Wait…" Ben muttered softly. "If Vilgax was one of the guys who attacked then…who was the other person?" looking down, Orion took a steadying breath.

"The other one…he looked like you but his hair was silver…He had red eyes with a red jacket…He even had an Omnitrix like you but-"

_"What!?"_ Kevin all but yelled. _"Albedo working together with Vilgax?!"_

_"But if they have the stone…"_ Gwen murmured with widened eyes.

"They'll be coming here next…" Ben finished as he took another left and then stopped the car. "Well Orion. We're here…Mr. Smoothies." Ben said as the four teens stepped out of their vehicles. Orion looked at the small place with disgust in her eyes but Ben just gave her a laugh.

"It's not that bad. We'll get something to drink then we can talk some more." Gwen explained as Orion glared at Kevin's back before following Ben to the ordering/payment station.

"I'll have a…Banana Grape Splash." Ben ordered before turning to the contemplating princess. "What do you want, Orion?" blinking at the confusing list of combinations and different drinks, her eyes landed on something and they lit up.

"This one!" she smiled, pointing to a large smoothie. Ben blinked, Gwen made a disgusted noise and Kevin gave a snort.

"U-uh, Orion are you sure you want _that_ one…?" he choked out as the attendant girl nodded vigorously with agreement.

"We don't really recommend this one miss…Especially for new customers…Uh why not have a…"

"If it is a part of the list, then what is so bad about it?"

"Well it's…"

"Why have it for sale, if you do not recommend it for consumption?"

"Uh maybe you should…"

"I shall not change my mind." the lavender haired princess declared haughtily, making the attendant sigh before writing it down and getting to work. Suppressing a shudder, Ben turned to Gwen and Kevin.

"You guys want anything?"

"Ugh…after knowing what _she's_ having, I think I'll pass…" the osmosian murmured as he walked off to the nearby seats. Nodding Gwen inched away.

"…What he said…" quickly making themselves scarce, the couple tried to keep down their lunch. A few minutes later, Ben sat with his smoothie while Orion happily sat next to him with her much larger drink. Taking a first sip, Orion squealed in delight and swung her feet like a child.

"This is amazing!" she declared, taking another straw full. "Ooh! Ben, you must try it!" the brunette almost choked on his smoothie as Orion looked at him expectantly.

"Uh thanks for the offer, but I already have mine. See?" came his weak excuse as he held up his cup. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed his drink and shook it around.

"But it is almost empty! Please just have _one_ taste?" she smiled, blinking her dazzling amethyst eyes, making Ben feel slightly giddy.

"Well u-uh…" as soon as his mouth opened, he found a straw right in his mouth and a cool liquid sloshing down his throat.

"Ugh! Gross!" Gwen grimaced as Kevin began to laugh his head off. Ben braced for the worst but surprisingly, it wasn't that bad! Pulling the straw from his mouth, Orion looked on expectantly.

"Well? Is it not marvelous?"

"It's…actually not that bad…" he murmured. "It tastes like chili fries!" Gwen made a look of disgust as she shook her head.

"Blech!" she murmured before pushing that aside.

"Okay, Orion. Let's continue. Now the guy you saw with Vilgax is a Galvan called Albedo. Yes, he looks like Ben but let me explain." Gwen interrupted, noticing the question looming in the alien's eyes. "Albedo thinks that he should have been given the Omnitrix instead of Ben. You see, he helped to create the Omnitrix, believe it or not. He was the right hand man to Azmuth, the Galvan who created it. So, since he didn't get the Omnitrix like he wanted, he made one of his own from some blueprints he stole from Azmuth. Apparently Ben's human form is the _'default form'_…well that's what he said…When we first met him, he and Ben were fighting and the two watches locked together. Somehow it _'damaged'_ that form and now Albedo is stuck like that…" the half Anodite explained and Orion nodded in understanding. Taking another gulp of her smoothie, she leaned forward, resting her chin on her woven fingers.

"I see…the power influx from the two versions of the Omnitrix at that close proximity sent out a destabilizing wave! Since that was not this Albedo's true form the wave _'damaged'_ its appearance!" the lavender haired alien declared triumphantly as she rewarded herself with another sip of her odd smoothie.

"Uhh…what'd she just say?" Kevin asked with a confused look in his eye, making Ben and Gwen resist the urge to roll their eyes. Orion, however, had no problems with this as she rolled her eyes and released a long, suffering sigh before drinking more of her smoothie.

"That is all of it, Levin. Any fool can comprehend that! Oh…wait I shall take that back because you do not understand…" the alien girl muttered dryly as Gwen bit her lip from laughing and a few snickers escaped Ben's clamped shut mouth.

"Whatever…If you weren't Ben's little _girlfriend_ you wouldn't even be here…" Kevin retorted slyly as a small blush dusted her and Ben's cheeks.

"Y-you wish, Levin! I could never be a human's mate! Not even! As the princess of Hoouran that is…" Orion started heatedly before her features softened and her voice wavered at the thought of her lost home world. Ben gave another frown as the now silent group sat quietly in their seats.

"Err…Anyways, mind telling us more about the stone and you, Orion? Maybe if we know more about the Raven's Stone we could manage to stop Albedo and Vilgax from using it."

"R-right…"

**TBC…**

_**shadowedstalker~princess- Done! Woot! That was just awesome to write! I think I am officially over my writing block! YAY!**_

_**Anyways read and review!**_

_**Reviews are my friends, tebane! ;)**_

_**-shadow out-**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Raven's Flight**_

_**A Ben 10 fanfic**_

_**shadowedstalker~princess- Hey people! Redoing this old fic. I'll have to make up new stuff cuz I lost the old word files.. Anyways, please remember to fave, review and show me some love! :3 **_

_**Special Thanks to my first reviewer **_

_**This would also be a good time to mention NO Julie because I don't like her anymore…not after she dumped Benji -_-**_

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own Ben 10 in any way. Ben 10 Alien Force and Ben 10 Ultimate Alien belong to the awesomeness known as Man of Action and Cartoon Network. **

"Human speech"

_'Human thought'_

**"Yelling"**

_**"Yelling"**_

_"Snarl/sneer"_

_"Alien speech/alien language"_

_-Alien thought-_

_"Spells/incantations"_

* * *

Chapter 2

_~Bellwood~_

_~Mr. Smoothies~_

"R-right…Well I think I've told you everything I know about the stone…As for me, I am…connected to it…in a manner of speaking…What this means is that I can sense its power but I cannot locate it through those means. As I told you before, I am the Princess of Hoouran known only as Orion. My father, King Reore, as you know, unfortunately created the problem of the now corrupted Raven's Stone…My mother, Queen Treaal did not survive…" pausing, Orion took a calming breath. "Only a few of my father's trusted allies know of the stone's sacred prophecy including…Maxwell Tennyson…" as soon as the all too familiar name left her lips, Kevin's face darkened with a glare while Ben and Gwen gaped in silent shock.

"Wait one damn second! Gramps _knows_ about that lame prophicky? Why the heck did you wait to mention this till _**NOW**_?!" the osmosian exclaimed demanded with disbelief and anger. Orion raised an eyebrow before her amethyst eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"I seem to recall almost battling an egotistical, waste of space, brainless, lower life form in useless combat which he decided to initiate…" Orion shot back with her voice full of sarcasm, making Kevin bristle angrily at the jab.

"Oh, not again…" Ben murmured as he was sure he noticed steam pumping from the ex-con's ears.

"This coming from the snooty, pompous, bratty alien princess who doesn't understand a thing called _manners_? This _'lower life form'_ was doing a little something called **SELF DEFENSE**! That happens when someone insults you for no reason! It ain't my fault you've lost everything! The way I understood things, it happened _because_ of you!" Kevin replied sharply as Orion grit her teeth in anger and her knuckles grew white from her monstrous grip on the brown table.

"Come on you two, let's just take it easy…" the brunette boy, trying to be the voice of reason was promptly ignored as Orion quickly rose to her feet.

"_Ookamer Hoah_! (1) You revolting pig! I should have shot you in that warehouse, Levin!"

"Pft! I'd love to see you try, _princess_!"

"_Guys_…" Gwen tried but she too was ignored and she jolted as if slapped. _'What is this feeling…?'_ she wondered as time seemed to slow down. Orion began to emanate a strange but dark mana as her purple eyes bled to a dangerous ruby and her skin suddenly grew pale. _'Orion…?'_ the alien princess raised a hand coursing with dark mana and steel from the nearby post crawled across Kevin's body. As Orion attacked time sped up and everything moved normally. The osmosian grunted as the blast struck him in the chest and sent him flying backwards, slamming him into numerous chairs and tables.

"Kevin!" Gwen gasped as Orion dashed towards him in the blink of an eye, stunning Gwen; her eyes could barely keep up with the girl. _'That speed…It's insane…What is she?'_ a dark laugh left the alien's lips as her after images each had a crazed grin and murderous red eyes. Rolling out of the way, Kevin avoided another blast and morphed his hand into a club. Spinning around to her, the osmosian put every ounce of power he had into his right arm.

"You asked for it, Your Highness!" he grinned as he swung, catching Orion in her stomach and rocketing her into a steel beam. Her back arched against the painful and now disfigured steel as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Grunting lowly, Orion's eyes wrenched closed as she fell forward, collapsing to her knees.

"Orion!" Ben yelled worriedly as the girl shook slowly.

"Kevin, what is wrong with you!? That could have killed her!" Gwen declared angrily as she glared holes at one Kevin Levin. Without a word of warning, Kevin was sent flying from even more beams. Whipping her head back, Gwen could only look on as Orion shakily rose to her feet with pain filled but deadly ruby eyes. Blood dripped from her lips and her temple but the girl paid this no mind as she took threatening, pain promising steps towards the raven haired osmosian, who was beginning to tire.

"_Her_!? What about _me_?!"

"**You're** _gon_na _re_gret _th_**at, Levin**…L**et** _me_ _rep_**ay you** _for_ **hel**_ping_ _me_ **realize** _Hoou_r**an's** **dem**_ise_ _was_ **my** **fau**_lt_!" Orion's voice clashed and scraped against a voice not her own. Something guttural and dark melded with hers and it sounded like something of a demon.

"O…Orion…" Gwen whispered as more mana poured from her body, making the ground around her rot and decay.

"Orion, that's enough!" Ben declared as he stepped between her and Kevin, forcing the livid Hoouranian to stop before him. Ruby eyes bore into his as the girl stood rigid. The brunette winced as Orion's mana pushed against him.

_It felt like fire._

"_**Mov**_e…_Be_**n**…" the brunette held his ground and shook his head.

"You know I can't do that, Orion. This has to stop...now…Kevin has this coming but you know its not the right thing to do…everything won't just go back to normal if you beat him senseless…" the purple haired princess raised a power filled hand before she stopped. "Orion, please…" Ben begged and, slowly, her mana dissipated and her eyes grew lidded, changing back to its usual sparkling amethyst. Swaying dangerously, Orion felt her world grow dark.

"_Sorry…Ben…"_

"Orion!"

_~Unknown Location~_

_Earth_

"It seems she has been exposed …" in the darkness, a myriad of screens lit up the shadow. A tall alien sat leaning before the screens as a much shorter person stood by the alien's side.

"This is an odd turn of events, no doubt…Should we move to capture her?" the alien gave a short chuckle as the screens zoomed in on a certain angry, raven haired osmosian.

"No…With him, everything will fall into place even without our interference…We must have patience. All will come in due time…"

"Whether in this form or otherwise, Vilgax, I am not well known for having patience." Vilgax smirked within the shadow as the screen then showed Orion cradled in Ben's arms.

"Not to worry, Albedo…Things will be in motion soon…The girl and Tennyson will be ours in due time…"

_~Three Days Later~_

_~Bellwood~_

The first thing that she was aware of was something soft so if anything, she would have to guess that she was probably in a bed. The cobwebs in her head and grogginess did not help her situation as she tried to recall what had happened and where she was. Orion was vaguely aware of something cool and soft on her forehead. One after another, her senses began to clear and her brain began to function.

_'Ohh…What happened…?'_ raising her hand to her head, Orion rose to a sitting position only for something to drop into her lap. Looking down, a damp, white washrag greeted her. _'Wait…Where am I?'_

"Orion?" the princess jumped as she raised her head. Standing at the doorway was none other than Ben. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he walked into the room with his hands behind his back.

"Oh, it is you…Where am I, Ben?" the brunette smiled.

"You're at my place. My parents said you can crash here for a while." the lavender haired girl blinked in confusion.

"I can…_crash_?"

"Yeah." Ben smiled before understanding washed over him. "Oh, you probably don't know what I mean. Basically my parents are letting you stay here." _Now_ things were making sense. Orion gave a small smile and nod. Looking at the room, it was in quite a state.

"This room is most…strange…and messy…" Ben laughed weakly as he scratched his head.

"Yeah, uh…Sorry about that…Didn't really have time to clean up…" the alien nodded before a strange sloshing sound filtered through the air.

"Ben…what was that odd sound?" the brunette seemed to break out in a worried sweat and Orion could feel the nervousness and anxiety pouring off him.

"What? Sound? What sound? I didn't hear anything…Nope, no sounds here." amethyst eyes narrowed.

"I know I heard something…Wait…What is that behind your back?"

"Nothing!" Ben yelped, effectively piquing Orion's curiosity. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Nothing you say?" grinning, Ben knew he was caught. Pulling his hand from behind his back, he gave Orion a smile.

"Well, you got me…" he handed her his 'surprise'. Her smile grew as she opened the bag and pulled out a large Styrofoam cup. "I thought you'd be hungry but I didn't know if you'd want normal food and Gwen didn't know what a Hoouranian likes to eat so I brought that smoothie you liked so much. The one that tastes like chili fries." Orion's eyes lit up as she sipped the smoothie, giggling like a schoolgirl as the cool liquid slipped down her throat.

"Thank you, Ben." she smiled as she enjoyed her drink.

"Anytime." the duo sat in a comfortable silence before Orion stopped drinking and held the half empty cup with shaking hands.

"Ben…what happened? I cannot remember…" the brunette looked down at his shoes as a soft sigh escaped his lips. He knew she would ask sometime…

_He'd hoped it just wouldn't be so soon…_

"Ben?" she murmured as she raised his head with her hand. "What has happened?" giving another sigh, the Omnitrix wielder brushed a hand through his hair.

"You might want to lay back, Orion…This won't be easy to swallow…"

"Very well…Leave nothing out…"

_~Minutes later~_

No matter how he explained, Orion asked to hear it again…Down to every last detail.

She just could not bring herself to believe this.

_Why had she behaved so strangely?_

Yes, she had a temper but _all_ Hoouranians did. They were one with their emotions. They never hid them.

_So why this violent reaction?_

From what Gwen had explained to Ben, Orion gave off some sort of evil mana but…that could not be…

"I do not understand…How could this be possible? I've never done something like that before…"

"It's okay, Orion. I know you wouldn't do something like that…No matter how angry you were." Ben reassured, making the alien princess give him a hollow smile. Resting the smoothie on the bed stand, Orion laid her hands in her lap.

"I do not wish to drink anymore, Ben…I apologize…" the brunette merely smiled and shook his head.

"I understand, Orion. Hey, if it's okay with you, my parents want to meet you properly-" before the teen could finish, a monstrous banging assaulted his bedroom door.

**"TENNYSON!"**

"Oh no…" no sooner than the words left his lips, his door was shoved open and in barreled one hopping mad Kevin Levin.

"_You_!" he snarled, stalking towards the bed.

"Now Kevin…" Ben placated before Kevin brushed past him and stood before Orion. With an almost permanent scowl on his face, he grabbed the girl by her dress collar. "Orion!" Ben yelled as he tried to help only for Kevin to shove him away.

"Stay outta this, Tennyson!"

"Kuh…Release me…swine…" Orion choked out as she glared at Kevin with one open eye, sparking with rage. Kevin glared down at her as he tightened his grip, making the girl groan in protest.

"Kevin, stop!"

"So…hiding in Ben's room, huh? Think you'd get away with what you did?" Kevin growled as he shook her roughly. Orion gasped as she felt her air dwindling fast and dark spots dotted her vision. In an upsurge of anger and slight fear, her eyes flashed red.

"Release me!" a powerful burst of mana threw Kevin off of her, sending him skidding on the floor. Sinking into the bed, Orion weakly grasped her throat as her lungs burned for air. Gasping for breath, Orion gingerly rubbed her neck. Growling lowly, Kevin got up once more only for Ben to get in his way.

"Move Tennyson! If she wants to pick a fight with me then I'll give her a damn war!"

"Just quit it, alright! Orion had no control over her actions! She didn't do what she did on purpose!" the osmosian scoffed.

"And you're gonna believe what she says!? I wouldn't trust this little bitch as far as Humungousaur could throw her!" Ben glowered at him darkly and resisted the urge to punch his so called best friend.

"Get out…" the raven haired teen narrowed his eyes.

"You can't be serious…"

"You heard me, Kevin…Get out…" giving the shorter boy a sneer, Kevin shook his head.

"Fine…Forget this. I'm done!" he yelled, shooting one last glare at Orion before stomping out of the room and slamming the door closed. It was not until Kevin's car door slammed and his tires squealed down the street that Ben let out the breath he had been holding. His shoulders slumped and his eyes closed as he put his head in his hands. Turning around with tired eyes, Ben looked at the alien princess behind him.

"I'm sorry about Kevin, Orion…" she shook her head and gave him a saddened smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"It is I, who should be sorry Ben…I have caused much trouble for you and your friends…" looking down at the now scattered and ruffled green bed sheets, Orion felt a deep sorrow planted within her soul. "I shouldn't have come here after all…"

"No, no. Orion don't say that…" Ben frowned as he sat beside her once more. "If you hadn't come here I would never have met the most intelligent, funny, awesome and not to mention badass, alien princess ever." he grinned, making Orion give a small smile in return.

"Thank you…I…I presume the last words were good things…" she giggled, fingering a small chain around her neck.

"Of course they were, silly." Ben snickered in return, catching unto her feigned confusion. "I promise, we'll help you get everything in order. Vilgax and Albedo won't know what hit 'em!" the lavender haired girl smiled.

"Thank you for everything…Before we were interrupted, you mentioned something about your parents?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. They just wanted to meet you properly. Nothing major." Ben shrugged as Orion nodded in understanding.

"I see…Well, why make them wait any longer?" she smiled. Catching on, Ben felt a bit worried.

"Now, wait a minute, Orion…Are you sure you're well enough?" shimmying to the end of the bed near the brunette, the princess gave an annoyed scoff.

"Of course! Hoouranians are well known for our quick recoveries! I am absolutely fi-iinee!" falling in a tangled mess of sheets, Orion closed her eyes and braced for a hard impact. Seconds passed and then minutes but she didn't land on the floor...Rather, she was held up by something very soft…and warm, she mused. Opening her amethyst eyes, the alien blinked comically. "We are also well known for our rather incredulous clumsiness…" she murmured as she raised her head, only to come nose to nose with one blushing Ben Tennyson. Freezing in shock, Orion felt her face heat up as emerald stared into amethyst. Gulping softly, Ben didn't let the girl go.

"Y-You alright there, Orion?" the alien princess remained still. Fearing her voice would fail her, she merely gave a small nod.

_'His eyes…are most astounding…And he is so close…What is this feeling?'_

_'I never noticed how deep Orion's eyes were…She's just…wow…'_ not hearing the door opening, the duo still floated around in their own little worlds.

"Hey, Ben is Orion o…kay…?" whipping their heads to the door, one stunned Gwen Tennyson stood with her hand still on the handle.

"Gwen!" the brunette squeaked, dropping Orion to the floor in shock as he shot to his feet. Said alien groaned as she slammed onto the carpeted floor. "O-Orion!"

"_Ow_…" she replied with an annoyed drone as she wiggled out of Ben's entangled sheets and shot him a look. It practically screamed; 'Did you _have_ to drop me?' snickering to herself, Gwen shook her head. Clearing her throat, she got the duo's attention.

"If you two are done, I wanted to know if Orion was okay. Since your parents want to see her after all. Plus, I want to talk to her for a bit…" the two looked at each other. Warily watching the girl up and down, Orion slowly rose to her feet.

"I hope you are not going to yell at me like Levin…" at this Gwen blinked.

"Wait, Kevin? Ugh, don't tell me he…"

"Came here?" Ben frowned. "Yes. And he wasn't happy…" remembering their earlier clash, Orion ground her teeth. Rubbing her throat, the princess glared at the floor.

"That swine…I swear meeting a Levin is a fate worse than the most painful of deaths!" raising a curious eyebrow, Gwen closed the door and sat Orion on the bed. Kneeling before her, Gwen rest her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Orion…is there something you're not telling us…? Something between you and Kevin?" the lavender haired alien sighed as she grabbed her still cool smoothie and sucked it down.

"I suppose you could say that…I am just surprised that he did not choose to mention it first…" feeling his own curiosity get the better of him, he shared a look with Gwen.

"Mention what…?"

"Our races…We're mortal enemies. We actually already know each other…" the two cousins blinked. Now this, they were not expecting.

"Wait a minute, you mean you and Kevin know each other? Like before meeting all of us?" the princess nodded.

"That is correct…Many earth years ago, the Osmosians and Hoouranians tried to create a peace treaty. Strangely enough, we decided Earth would be where this peace treaty would be held. So, many of us flocked to this planet for the treaty. The Plumbers had a hidden place for us, I do not remember where. We were staying a total of one week since negotiations for this treaty would be extensive. At the time, I was about…nine of your earth years and, as fate may have it, Kevin Levin was present. The negotiations were quite boring but as the princess I was supposed to stay and observe because there would come a time that I would have to do these things. For some strange reason, I allowed Levin to convince me to leave with him. As he put it, "This meeting blows! We could do something way more fun." We snuck out of the facility and Levin took me practically everywhere. At the time, I was not really aware that he was supposed to be my enemy so I just went along with whatever he did. We actually got into trouble with some strangers because we bumped into them or played a joke but I was having the time of my life." Orion smiled fondly as she continued down memory lane. "Even though it was wrong, I somewhat…hypnotized a purveyor to give us the treat known as…cotton candy…for free…and forget that he saw us…" Ben snickered and Gwen just looked on in shock.

"A stealing hypnotist princess…" Ben joked. "Shame on you, Orion!" giving him a playful smile, she gave a 'friendly' punch to his shoulder. Blinking in shock as he tumbled out of his seat, Orion sheepishly shrugged.

"_Oops_?" grinning, Ben stood before her with his hands on his hips.

"So that's how it is, eh?" preparing to exact his revenge, he was interrupted by Gwen's annoyed but amused cough.

"Ahem…Let's stay on track, hmm?" shooting her a look, Ben sat down once more.

"Spoilsport…" shaking her head, Orion drained the last of her smoothie. Looking at it with a whimper and a frown, she placed the cup on the bed stand.

"Yes…Where was I…? Oh…After we ate our…'complimentary treat' Levin asked if I ever saw a sunset. Of course, I never had, because I never set foot out of the royal palace so he took me to a place he said was special. There was a lake with a hill. Sitting there, I witnessed the most amazing sunset ever. The sun looked so close, it was as if I could stick my hand out and touch it. Every day for that entire week, we sneaked out and did something I never could back home. I actually had fun…I was treated as a child for once. Not a princess. Not an alien. Just a child. Those were the best days of my young life. On the last day, the treaty had been signed and everything was well between our races. Before I departed with my parents, Kevin approached us with a small box. He just gave it to me and ran off, saying that we should meet again, because I was his first friend and I helped him have more fun than he ever had before…I still have what he gave me…" she smiled, fingering the small chain once more.

"Wait, it was that chain?" Gwen gushed as Orion held it up in the light. It was quite simple, but to Orion, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. A mere silver chain with a grey and purple pendant.

"Wow…never pegged Kevin to be such a softie…" Ben murmured and the alien merely rolled her eyes.

"Well he certainly has changed, and not for the better…" she sighed as she stared at the pendant in her palm. Closing her fingers around it, she hid it beneath her dress collar once more.

_~Albedo and Vilgax's Hideout~_

"Well, what a turn of events…" the silver haired Galvan smirked, as he munched on his Achilles Heel. "I disgust myself…" he murmured, swallowing down even more chili fries. "So the princess knows the osmosian…This could play to our advantage…" Albedo finished his fries as Ben left Orion and Gwen to talk to themselves. "Since they know each other, getting to Orion will be much easier…And I have just the right bait…"

_~Tennyson Household~_

"I shall not."

"But Orion…"

"I am not going to wear…that atrocity…" she gave the offending clothes a sneer.

"Well you can't go around wearing that dress all the time! If you're gonna stay here, you need more clothes! Who knows how long it will take to get to Albedo and Vilgax!" the girl would have none of it.

"I understand what you mean but I am not wearing that!" looking at the clothes in her hand, Gwen frowned.

"It's not that bad. Besides, it was all I could smuggle from my room without my mom knowing! She isn't just gonna give me her credit card and say 'Have fun buying your new alien friend nice clothes, dear!'" the brunette rolled her eyes as Orion didn't budge.

_Talk about stubborn…_

"Look, it's just temporary until I can figure something out, okay? Asking Ben to get a girl clothes would be asking a fish to walk on dry land…" she murmured, only serving to confuse the poor princess.

"What? What does a water dwelling vertebrate have to do with this?" blinking, Gwen resisted the urge to slap her forehead.

"Ugh…Never mind! Just put this on!" she frowned, shoving the clothes into Orion's arms.

"I said no!" Orion dropped the clothes into Gwen's lap.

"Guys, is everything okay in there?" Ben's voice called from behind his door and both girls glared at the doorway.

**"Yes!"**

**"No!" **whipping their heads back to each other the two girls leveled each other with a deep stare. Neither side wanted to back down. Sparks were practically flying between them as they glared at each other. Warily opening the door, Ben peeked in only to duck and avoid being hit with a bundle of clothes.

"Uh guys…"

**"WHAT!?"** wincing from the dark glares directed at him, Ben slowly inched into view.

"Well…I talked to my parents and they said I could take Orion shopping to buy some clothes…Since they knew she probably didn't have any…" meekly staying near the door, Ben warily looked on as Gwen and Orion seemed to calm down.

"I see…"

"Well there, problem solved." Gwen beamed before she retrieved her previously tossed clothes and left. Shaking his head Ben opened the door wider.

"You coming, Orion? Just for my parents to meet you. Then we're gonna go get you some new clothes." the princess smiled as she rose to her feet.

"Alright. I've had them waiting quite long enough."

_Needless to say, Ben's parents were absolutely smitten with Orion._

Sandra gushed about how beautiful the girl was and his father couldn't stop teasing about some possible romance between the two teens.

Looking at each other, a blush dusted Orion's cheeks as she remembered their rather close proximities earlier.

"A-anyways, I think we're done here…" Ben gave a weak laugh as he grabbed Orion's hand. "See you later! I'm carrying her to the mall!" without another word the brunette sped out the door, dragging poor Orion with him.

"Well Carl…Our little Ben's growing up…" Sandra smiled as Ben helped Orion into his car. Jumping into the driver's seat, the teen drove off.

"Looks like it…I think she'll be good for him…" Carl grinned as he entwined his hand with his wife's.

"She sure will, hun…She sure will…"

**TBC…**

_Ookamer Hoah!_ (1) - Be silent!

_**shadowedstalker-princess~ Woottttt! Thanks for the super review and I hope you peeps enjoyed the latest chapter of The Raven's Flight!**_

_**review, review, review!**_

_**They are my friends, tebane! (Ya know)**_

_**-shadow out-**_


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